1 Peter (Program #10) -The Full Salvation of the Triune God and Its Issues (8)

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we accept the Bible as truth. John 17 says specifically, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” And so when we come to verses such as John 3:16 for example, “for God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” We take that as truth without question. But are we satisfied merely to accept the objective fact that God surely loves us or have we in fact experienced His love in a personal and subjective way?

The apostle Peter was one, whom no doubt knew the objective teaching of God’s love. But it must have been his deep and personal experience and appreciation of the loving Savior that prompted him to write in the deeply and experiential manner that we find in his New Testament epistles.

Colossians 1:13 says, “Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love”. This is a marvelous verse that is well beloved by many that love the Lord Jesus especially those whose background is easily described by the phrase “authority of darkness”. If we had a particularly sinful and dark past then likely our appreciation of this transfer is quite keen. To many others that may not have such an evil and wicked past seemingly, so while they may agree doctrinally that such a transfer has taken place, the heartfelt realization may not be quite as strong. But what was the apostle Paul referring to when he wrote these words to the believers in Colossi? The answer to this question will likely surprise you.

Psalms (Program #34) – God’s Recovery of His Title and Right Over the Whole Earth Through the Reign of Christ

Often times when we are visiting a new country or a region we are not familiar with, our appreciation of that place will depend on the guide that is showing us around. Without a knowledgeable and experienced guide we likely will not perceive much of the hidden beauty nor appreciate the richness of all that we are seeing. Actually this could also describe our understanding of the Scriptures. Of course, we need to read and read again and re-read again in a prayerful way, the Bible to allow the Lord to reveal His Word to us. But in addition to our personal reading, we need a guide. Just as the Ethiopian eunuch did in Acts chapter 8, more…

All genuine believers in Christ know that an essential of the Christians faith is that Christ our Savior is sinless. In fact the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians that He did not know sin. Yet the very same verse tells us that this One that did not know sin, was made sin. Here is chapter 5:

21 “Him who did not know sin He made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

What mysterious, marvelous language. He, Who did not know sin, was made sin on our behalf. We, who believed treasure the fact that He died for our sins. Yet do we really have the proper understanding, a proper appreciation of the fact that according to God’s word that He was made sin on our behalf?

To our natural understanding the structure of a book like 1 Corinthians may seem random and really lacking any particular significance. But if we realize that the book is specifically arranged with the last half of the book focused on how God is administrating the entire universe for the accomplishment of His eternal purpose, we will have a key to open a much deeper understanding and appreciation of this portion of Scripture. It’s particularly important to use this key when we come to the matter of the gifts of the spirit in 1 Corinthians chapter twelve.

Exodus (Program #143) – The Golden Incense Altar (4) Appreciation of the Two Altars, Two Altars in our Experience

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” This is a frequently quoted passage from Matthew chapter 6. Of course, in context “all theses things” refer to our practical and physical needs and the promise is very clear; if we are occupied by seeking God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, we need not be consumed with praying for our own needs. But what is it to seek the kingdom and God’s righteousness?